Express News Service
RANCHI: Intensifying his demand, Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Wednesday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to clear the Sarna Dharma Code in the interest of tribals. According to Soren, the population of tribals in Jharkhand has declined from 38 per cent to 26 per cent in the last eight decades which could have an adverse effect on the policies meant for tribal development under the Fifth and Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
“There is a continuous decline in the percentage of their population, as a result of which it is natural to have an adverse effect on the policies of tribal development under the Fifth and Sixth Schedule of the Constitution,” said Soren in his letter.
The chief minister further added that not only Jharkhand, but the tribal community all over the country has been struggling for the last several years to protect their religious existence and demanding the inclusion of nature-worshiping Sarna religion followers in the census code.
“Today the demand for Tribal/Sarna Dharma Code is being raised so that this nature-worshiping tribal community can be confident about its identity. At the time, when demand for Uniform Civil Code is being raised by some organizations, a positive initiative on this demand of Tribal/Sarna community is absolutely necessary for their protection,” pointed Soren in his letter. You are aware that there are many such groups in the tribal community which are on the verge of extinction and if they are not protected on the principle of social justice, then their existence along with their language and culture will be destroyed forever, he added.
Soren maintained that, according to the census data of 2011, about 12 crore tribals lived in the country and their number is more than one crore in Jharkhand and most of them follow the Sarna religion. “The living scriptures of this oldest Sarna religion are water, forest, land and nature itself. The culture, worship method, ideals and beliefs of Sarna religion are different from all the prevalent religions,” Soren pointed out. So, the concern for protecting the traditional religious existence of tribals is certainly a serious question, he said.
Soren believes that a separate Tribal / Sarna code is necessary to identify the Sarna or nature-worshiping tribals from Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian, and Jain followers and to protect their constitutional rights. “If tribals get a separate Sarna Code, then their population can be clearly estimated and their language, culture, history along with their constitutional rights can also be protected,” Soren said.
It is noteworthy here that there was a provision of a separate code for them in the census column of the year 1951, but due to certain reasons, this arrangement was abolished in the subsequent decades, he added. Therefore, Sroen added, the Tribal/Sarna Code is very necessary for the proper development of the tribal community and in view of that, a proposal in this regard has also been passed in the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly, which is currently pending for decision at the level of Central Government.
RANCHI: Intensifying his demand, Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Wednesday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to clear the Sarna Dharma Code in the interest of tribals. According to Soren, the population of tribals in Jharkhand has declined from 38 per cent to 26 per cent in the last eight decades which could have an adverse effect on the policies meant for tribal development under the Fifth and Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
“There is a continuous decline in the percentage of their population, as a result of which it is natural to have an adverse effect on the policies of tribal development under the Fifth and Sixth Schedule of the Constitution,” said Soren in his letter.
The chief minister further added that not only Jharkhand, but the tribal community all over the country has been struggling for the last several years to protect their religious existence and demanding the inclusion of nature-worshiping Sarna religion followers in the census code.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });
“Today the demand for Tribal/Sarna Dharma Code is being raised so that this nature-worshiping tribal community can be confident about its identity. At the time, when demand for Uniform Civil Code is being raised by some organizations, a positive initiative on this demand of Tribal/Sarna community is absolutely necessary for their protection,” pointed Soren in his letter. You are aware that there are many such groups in the tribal community which are on the verge of extinction and if they are not protected on the principle of social justice, then their existence along with their language and culture will be destroyed forever, he added.
Soren maintained that, according to the census data of 2011, about 12 crore tribals lived in the country and their number is more than one crore in Jharkhand and most of them follow the Sarna religion. “The living scriptures of this oldest Sarna religion are water, forest, land and nature itself. The culture, worship method, ideals and beliefs of Sarna religion are different from all the prevalent religions,” Soren pointed out. So, the concern for protecting the traditional religious existence of tribals is certainly a serious question, he said.
Soren believes that a separate Tribal / Sarna code is necessary to identify the Sarna or nature-worshiping tribals from Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian, and Jain followers and to protect their constitutional rights. “If tribals get a separate Sarna Code, then their population can be clearly estimated and their language, culture, history along with their constitutional rights can also be protected,” Soren said.
It is noteworthy here that there was a provision of a separate code for them in the census column of the year 1951, but due to certain reasons, this arrangement was abolished in the subsequent decades, he added. Therefore, Sroen added, the Tribal/Sarna Code is very necessary for the proper development of the tribal community and in view of that, a proposal in this regard has also been passed in the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly, which is currently pending for decision at the level of Central Government.
